Lesson 7 quality and palatability

1.Read and memorize the following words:

to determine [dı 'tə: mı n] визначати

e.g. The aim of the research work was to determine the saltiness of sea-water.

palatability ['pæ lə tə 'bı lı tı ] смак

e.g. Butyric acid (масляна кислота) makes an important contribution to the palatability of milk fat and butter.

grade ['greı d] сорт, ґатунок

e.g. The meat they sell is only of high grade.

carcass ['kɑ: kə s] туша

e.g. Most beef, veal, calf and lamb carcasses are cut, vacuum packaged, boxed and shipped as boxed meat to retailers.

side [saı d] сторона, пів туші

e.g. If it is too much to use the whole carcass meat, they can process only half of it, which is called a side.

cut [kʌ t] шматок

e.g. The eating quality of meat is greatly determined by the proportions of the connective tissue and muscle fibers in a particular cut.

porous ['pɔ: rə s] пористий

e.g. It is quite normal for some products to have porous surface.

flinty ['flı ntı ] твердий, міцний

e.g. Pre-cooked meat has flinty fibre.

slaughter ['slɔ: tə ] забій

e.g. Unfortunately, to prepare palatable dishes from animals it is necessary first to slaughter them.

processing ['prə ʊ sesı ŋ ] обробка

e.g. The aim of processing in a factory is to preserve food and to reduce time spent on preparing food in the home.

to enable [ı 'neı bl] давати можливість, робити можливим

e.g. The excessive consumption of sweets enables an increase in weight.

ham [hæ m] шинка

e.g. Pork, bacon and ham are in particular rich in thiamin.

2.Match the words with their definitions.

3.Read and translate the text.

There are several important factors which determine the quality and palatability of meat. Grade of meat is based on three factors: conformation, finish and quality. The term ‘conformation’ covers the general build, form, shape, contour or outline of the carcass, side or cut. The term ‘finish’ refers to the thickness, colour, character and distribution of fat. Quality is a characteristic of the flesh and the fat included therein.

It is related primarily to the thickness, firmness and strength of both the muscle fibre and connective tissue. It also involves the amount, consistency and character of the juices or extractives. Colour does not determine quality, but it is an excellent index of quality. Red porous bones indicate a young animal as contrasted to the white, flinty bones of the older animal.

Tenderness and flavour are the major factors that influence the acceptability of meat for the consumer. Meat from relatively young animals is more tender than that from older animals mainly because the connective tissues of young animals are more easily broken down during cooking than are the connective tissues from older animals. Slaughter and processing procedures performed by the meat processor can have a major influence upon meat palatability. Examples of processing procedures that can influence meat quality are aging, mechanical tenderisation, curing procedures, and packaging. In the aging process, carcasses are kept for a few days after slaughter to allow the natural enzymes in the muscle to tenderise the meat. The aging process can be accelerated by increasing the holding-room temperature or slowed by lowering the temperature.

Various machines have been developed to tenderise meat. Curing procedures enable processors to produce very lean boneless ready-to-eat ham. In the production of boneless hams excess fat, connective tissue and less tender muscle are removed. Remaining muscles are injected with curing ingredients, tumbled or massaged in specially designed machines, formed into desired shape and finally heated and smoked in controlled-environment smokehouses. Finally, the proper cooking and serving of meat have a major influence on meat flavour and acceptance by the consumer.

4.Answer the following questions.

1.What is grade of meat based on?

2.Does colour determine the quality of meat?

3.Do white and flinty bones indicate young or old animals?

4.What factors influence the acceptability of meat for the consumer?

5.Why is the meat from young animals more tender than that from older ones?

6.What processing procedures can influence meat quality?

7.In what way can the aging process be accelerated or slowed?

5.Match each word in the right column with the group of words that define it.

6.Analyse the word-building elements of the following words. Find in the text and read out the sentences with these words, translate them into Ukrainian.

Tender, tenderness, tenderise, tenderisation.

7.Say true or false. Correct the wrong statements.

1.Colour is an excellent index of quality.

2.Red porous bones indicate an old animal.

3.Connective tissues of young animals are less easily broken than those of old ones.

4.The aim of the aging is to allow the natural enzymes in the muscle to tenderise the meat.

5.By lowering temperature in the holding room the aging process can be accelerated.

6.Curing procedures give the possibility to produce very lean boneless ready-to-eat meat.

8.Speak on the factors that determine meat quality and palatability.